2007 Street Rodder / PPG Road Tour Blog

After a great evening at Mild to Wild Classics in Albuquerque Wednesday morning found the Road Tourians rested and ready for another day of fun on the highways of the Southwest. Our start was delayed for an hour by a traffic stopping accident in downtown Albuquerque. Things finally started moving again and we were soon rolling up and out of the city. Our stop on Wednesday morning was at the Lewis Antique Auto and Toy Museum in Moriarity east of Albuquerque. Archie Lewis and Beth Alexander greeted us with cold drinks and a look at the most incredible collection of vintage tin any of us had ever seen. In was an hour in heaven for all the Road Tourians.

From Moriarity we headed north on two lane roads to Santa Fe, New Mexico. With the Rockies in the distance we spent a few hours in historic Santa Fe before continuing north through Taos. The scenery was fantastic as we made our way to our evening stop in Alamosa, Colorado. It had been a great day on the CW Moss Tour.

From Alamosa there are a number of routes to Pueblo and the NSRA Rocky Mountain Nationals. Some of our group needed to get to Pueblo early on Thursday to help with the preparations for the event. Others elected to head due north to Salida then east on Route 50 to Pueblo.A number of us decided to take the most scenic route which involved traveling west along the mountains then connecting to Route 50 to head east. This route took us over Monarch Pass. At 11,000 feet the view from the top was spectacular. We even had a brief snowball fight before heading down the mountain. The Road Tourians took over the Sonic Drive-in in Salida and staged an impromptu car show for the local folks.

It was time to get to Pueblo and the NSRA Rocky Mountain Nationals. The weekend was spent cruising the fairgrounds and hanging around the Street Rodder tent at the show. It was fun to recount the stories and adventures of the previous week. On Friday evening the new So-Cal Speed Shop in Pueblo had an open house which was very well attended. On Saturday evening the Road Tourians got together for a great Mexican dinner. Everyone exchanged addresses with promises to keep in touch and all agreed that they would like to take another Tour sometime.

We all headed home by Sunday afternoon. My 1600 mile trip back east got me to Youngstown, Ohio by Tuesday afternoon. I had been on the Road for almost 3 weeks. The trip west had gone well. The Brookville bodied Coupe is doing fine. The Flaming River Dominator front suspension helped to smooth out the bumpy roads of the Midwest as I got closer to home.

I actually have two weeks off before the next Tour. The Classic Automobilia Tour begins at the NSRA Milwaukee Nationals and continues through Indiana, Ohio and New York with the destination being the huge Syracuse Nationals. Keep updated on all of our adventures here at the website and watch for the complete article in upcoming issues of Street Rodder Magazine. Click on the page numbers below to see the previous Tour blogs. The best way to get a real feel for the Road Tour is to join in on the fun. We have three more Tours this season. Besides the Classic Automobilia Tour, the Eaton Detroit Spring Tours takes us from the Woodward Dream Cruise to The NSRA Richmond Nationals. In September we travels from the NSRA Nationals North in Kalamazoo, Michigan passing through Canada on our way to the NSRA Northeast Nationals in Burlington, New York on the Performance World Custom Car and Truck Show Tour. Come along for the ride. I can assure you that you will have the time of your life.

Happy Fourth of July!!!!!Jerry Dixey

The CW Moss Tour left the CW Moss showroom in Orange, California on Monday morning after the LA Roadster's Show. The response to this Tour had been fantastic with 43 cars registered to participate. The trip to the NSRA Rocky Mountain Nationals in Pueblo takes us through some of the most beautiful areas in the Southwest.

On our route Monday morning we headed east on I-10. After the Palm Springs area a long climb begins just past Indio. It is a 20 mile uphill run to the top of Chiriaco Summit. The Motor City Flathead motor didn't miss a beat and we reached the top with the temperature gauge reading just at 200. From the top of the hill it is down to the desert floor and temperatures hovering at 110 degrees. We then crossed over the Colorado River at Blyth and into Arizona. After a gas stop and quick lunch we continued on toward our evening's destination of Prescott, Arizona a beautiful city in the mountains. As we approached the Prescott area we had a few more climbs to get to the 5,500 foot level. By 5pm we all made it into Prescott and headed to an evening party at Bitchin' Products.

Owner Ron Wheeler had relocated Bitchin' Products to Prescott from Southern California about 6 years again. Their facility was built from the ground up with quality and efficiency in mind. All of their products are manufactured at their facility in Prescott. Their firewalls and body panels are hand formed and welded on site and the talent of their craftsmen is obvious.

There is a large local street rod community in Prescott and many turned out to greet us at Bitchin' Products. We all enjoyed the great barbeque. It had been a good first day on the CW Moss Tour.

On Tuesday morning we continued on our journey towards Pueblo. Traveling north from Prescott, Route 89A winds through some incredible scenery. We stopped briefly for a group photo before making our way up the winding road to Jerome. Jerome is an old mining town that has become an artist community. From there we drove through the famous Sedona Canyon area of Arizona. The scenery was breathtaking to say the least.

After our stop in Sedona it was time to hit the highway again. Our destination for the evening was Albuquerque and a get together at Mild to Wild Classics. Owner Tony Koz and his sons Eric and Tony Jr. went out of their way to make the Road Tour group feel welcome. Sandwiches were waiting for us when we arrived. Not only did we get a tour of their facilities and latest cool projects but the crew did some repairs to some of the Road Tour vehicles that needed some attention. It was a fun evening with the good folks at Mild to Wild Classics in Albuquerque.

We are just two days into the Tour. Check back here as we continue on the CW Moss Tour with a visit to an incredible collection of vintage tin and then on to the peaks of the Rockies.

To see the earlier Tour blogs, click on the page numbers below.

Jerry Dixey

Like the famous Energizer Bunny the PPG/Street Rodder Magazine Road Tour just keeps going and going and going. The Vintage Air Tour left Winslow, Arizona early Wednesday morning with a stop planned at one of the Seven Wonders of the World; the Grand Canyon. After the one hour drive to Flagstaff we turned north and arrived at the edge of the Canyon from the east and enjoyed what is called the Desert View. It is spectacular sight and one of the only views where the Colorado River is actually visible from the rim. We traveled from the Desert View to the South Rim and stopped for lunch as we left the Park.

Our destination for Wednesday evening was Laughlin, Nevada on the California border. The trip took about 3 hours and when we reached Laughlin the temperature was hovering at 100 degrees at 6PM in the evening,. The US Radiator kept the Motor City Flathead cool and the Vintage Air system kept me cool. The tired Road Tourians managed to have some fun in Laughlin but the 7:30 drivers meeting seemed to come earlier than normal. From Laughlin we traveled into California across I-40 and tuned left onto I-15 at Barstow. It was another hot day and we began to see more and more street rods on the way to the Roadster Show in Pomona. We arrived at our hotel for the weekend at 5:00. We were actually going to be in one place for 3 days!!!

On Friday morning many of the Road Tourians took a trip to the Planes of Fame Museum in nearby Chino. We gathered at a Mexican restaurant as a group for lunch on Friday afternoon. We were treated to special parking at the huge So-Cal Open House, definitely the place to be on the Friday before the Roadster Show.

Saturday and Sunday went by very quickly at the Show and swap meet. Many of the Road Tourians used the Street Rodder tent at the show as headquarters for the weekend. It was another great LA Roadster's Father's Day Show as the club celebrated their 50th Anniversary this year.

By Sunday it was time for most folks to head home. The Vintage Air Tour had been loads of fun. I cannot thank Rick Love from Vintage Air enough for all of his hard work preparing all of the details for the trip. It all worked out very, very well.

For some of the Road Tourians the fun was going to continue for another week. They were signed up to be part of the CW Moss Tour which was scheduled to leave the next morning. A total of 43 vehicles with almost 75 passengers gathered at the CW Moss store in Orange on Monday morning. Owner Derrik Looney greeted us with coffee and donuts and a tour of their fantastic facility. Founder Harold Looney was also on hand as was Derrick's brother Chad Looney of Viniques, Inc, one of this years major Road Tour sponsors.

At 9AM it was time to get the CW Moss Tour started. Our destination was the NSRA Rocky Mountain Nationals in Pueblo, Colorado. We had a great trip planned with stops in Prescott, Arizona, Albuquerque, New Mexico and Alamosa, Colorado with many great stops along the way. Be sure to check back here as we keep you updated on all the fun from he CW Moss PPG/Street Rodder Road Tour to the Rockies